As a furniture removal company operating in Cape Town and Johannesburg moving more than 10,000 items per month, Two Men and a Truck has learned from experience that occasional damage to an item being moved is inevitable.
Based on industry reviews, TMT has far less damaged items on moves than most other removal companies in South Africa. Despite the fact that TMT has one of the highest item safety rates in the industry, damage to an item does happen from time to time. It’s clear that damaged items are an issue for all furniture removal companies.
The question then arises for moving companies of how to deal with damages when they inevitably occur. Legally, moving companies are protected from liability for damage to an item in most common cases. Moving companies are therefore not unusually required legally to take responsibility for the repair or replacement of any item that may have been damaged during the move.
It comes as a surprise to many consumers that there is often little recourse available to them in the event of damaged items. Each moving company has its own policy about how they choose to deal with damages. Before you book your move with any removal company, make sure that you fully understand what their policy is on damage to an item. At Two Men and a Truck we offer the TMT Guarantee.
What is the TMT Guarantee?
Essentially, it is our promise to you, the customer, that if we conclude that we are responsible for damaging any item or property, we will fix or replace it for you (full details can be found in our terms and conditions). A core value at Two Men and a Truck is taking responsibility for what we do. If we make a mistake, we do what we can to make it right. So we created the TMT Guarantee.
To the best of our knowledge, we are the only moving company in Johannesburg and Cape Town to provide such a guarantee to our customers. This guarantee applies to all our moves, free of charge.
How the TMT Guarantee works
In the event of damage to an item, we conduct an investigation. If we conclude that we were responsible for the damage, we will do what we can to make up for it. This usually means that we collect the damaged item and have it repaired and restored to the state it was in before the damage occurred, and then deliver it back to you. If repair is not possible, then we usually replace the item.
Regarding our guarantee, we are self-insured, meaning we pay out-of-pocket for fixing and replacing items. This keeps us highly motivated and accountable as a company to really care for our customers’ belongings. It makes sure we’re always working hard to stick to the high standards that we set for ourselves. And as we damage so few items this is the most efficient way for us to provide this guarantee.
It’s important to carefully go through our terms and conditions before your move to make sure you understand how the guarantee works. It’s important to know what is and isn’t covered by the guarantee so that you can plan properly for your move.
What about insurance?
Aside from the TMT Guarantee, Two Men and a Truck also has goods-in-transit insurance. The purpose of the goods in-transit insurance is to protect your goods from events such as fire, theft, and total loss. In other words, this is only intended to be used in extreme and rare cases. The customer is liable to pay the excess for this insurance (see full details in our terms and conditions).
Why is the TMT Guarantee important?
*Quality assurance - A moving company willing to stand behind the work they do with a guarantee shows that the company takes the careful handling of your goods very seriously and will work hard to ensure service levels remain at their highest for each and every move.
*It saves you money- Without a guarantee the customer will likely have to pay out of pocket for the repair or replacement of any damaged items from the move, adding to the total costs of relocation.
Perhaps the number one thing that can go wrong on your move (if you choose a top, reputable moving company) is damage to your goods. Moving heavy items around tight corners or stairs, through narrow door frames and even out of windows and over balconies is risky. Given the sheer number of items and unique circumstances encountered daily by moving companies, damaged items are a statistical certainty for the industry. The best moving company might perfectly move 10,000 items without incident for every one incident of damage. This means that if you hire the best moving company, damage is quite unlikely to occur on your move, but remains a possibility.
Heavy wrapping will protect items and greatly reduce the chance of damage. However, most customers are not willing to incur the additional cost of wrapping to protect their goods. Moreover, heavy wrapping and bubble wrapping cannot totally protect goods from all types of damage events. The best form of protection would thus be heavy wrapping of an item in combination with a guarantee.
What’s the value of the TMT Guarantee?
When comparing quotes from different removal companies for your move make sure to factor in the value to you of a guarantee. Different people have different appetites for risk so you’ll need to figure out your own unique risk tolerance. You’ll also need to assess for yourself whether a high-level service provider suits your requirements.
The TMT Guarantee is currently one-of-a-kind in the industry. We hope that one day it will be more common among moving companies as well as other product and service companies outside the industry. The world is better when we all take responsibility for the work we do; and when we inevitably make mistakes, that we do what we can to make things right.